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Home13-Day Pamir & Wakhan Corridor Tour From Fayzabad
Description
Rise to the Top of the World, including Hindukush range hiking, and visit Pamir Highland, Wakhan Corridor and Batang Valley in far north-east Badakhshan province. Small-group tour with a local guide and guard “safe travel-by-road”. It may be one of the smallest and most unknown places in the remotest area of Badakhshan province, but the way its people welcome newcomers is fantastic for you as a tourist. Badakhshan, in general, and Pamir, in particular, are among the most exciting places in Afghanistan.
Highlights
- Visit the Pamir’s main attractions on your own or with a small group tour
- See the beautiful mountainous sight-seeing located in Pamir
- Stroll through the Wakhan and Bartang Valley to admire the nature
- Take some nice pictures from the Pamiri’s settlements
- Expert local guide with an unrivalled knowledge of Afghanistan and its treasures
Itinerary Expand All Collapse All
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Day 1: Journey Commencement expand_more
Day 1 (Option 1): The Start of the Journey | Kabul to Faizabad
- Starting from the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul International Airport
- Make our way up north towards Gulbahar
- Drive up to the notorious Hindukush Salang Tunnel into Baghlan Province
- Head towards Faizabad, provincial capital of Badakhshan province.
Driving: 12 hours
Altitude: 3,200 meters
Overnight: Proper hotel Bam-e Dunya in Faizabad (3-star Hotel)
Day 1 (Option 2): The Start of the Journey | Dushanbe to Faizabad
- Starting from Dushanbe, the capital of neighbouring Tajikistan
- Make your way south toward the Khatlon region
- Cross the Shirkhan Bandar land border crossing into Afghanistan's Kunduz Province
- Have Kite Travel Boutique’s letter of invitation for Afghan visas at the border crossing.
- Local guide with car will meet & greet, brief on itinerary.
- Head to Kunduz City to get travel permits approved
- Continue eastward across Kunduz and Takhar provinces to finally reach Faizabad, provincial capital of Badakhshan.
Driving: 12 hours
Altitude: 2,200 meters
Overnight: Proper hotel Bam-e Dunya in Faizabad (3-star Hotel)
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Day 2: Faizabad to Ishkashim Trek expand_more
Getting yet another early start, we will continue our journey toward the small town of Ishkashim.
Driving: 10 hours
Altitude: 2,600 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Ishkashim
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Day 3: Exploration Day in Ishkashim expand_more
Today, the plan is to explore Ishkashim, while Kite Travel Boutique’s organizers will collect travel permits for your journey onward to the Wakhan National Park.
Altitude: 2,600 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Ishkashim (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 4: Ishkashim to Qala-e Panja Journey expand_more
After breakfast in Ishkashim, we will begin our drive along the Afghan Wakhan Corridor toward the Qala-e Panja in Pamir near where the Pamir and Wakhan Rivers meet to form the Panj. This route sits along one of the major thoroughfares of the ancient Silk Road with the likes of Marco Polo and Hsuan Tsang passing through this area in the time past.
Driving time: 6-7 hours
Altitude: 2,800 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Qala-e Panja (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 5: Qala-e Panja to Wakhan Corridor Trek expand_more
After breakfast, from Qala-e Panja, the once capital of the Mirdom of Wakhan which dates back to the Sassanid era, we'll make our way to Wakhan National Park.
Driving: 5-6 hours
Altitude: 3,800 meters
Overnight: Tent camp in Wakhan National Park
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Day 6: Trekking in Wakhan Corridor expand_more
After a sunrise breakfast at Wakhan, we'll camp and the trek gains gradual elevation today before we reach our camp between the 4,400 and 4,500 meter mark.
Trekking: 5-6 hours
Altitude: 4,500 meters
Overnight: Tent camping at the foot of Wakhan
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Day 7: Drive from Wakhan to Chaqmaqtin expand_more
- We will take today to continue to make the road journey along the Afghan Wakhan to the surreal Chaqmaqtin Lake, making scenic stops in villages along the way.
Driving time: 5 hours
Altitude: 4,100 meters
Overnight: Tent camp
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Day 8: Rest Day in Chaqmaqtin expand_more
Today we will have the chance to explore the Chaqmaqtin area meet local Afghan Kyrgyz families, and learn about their culture in what feels like one of the most secluded places in the world.
Trekking: Rest day
Altitude: 4,050 meters
Overnight: Tent camping at Chaqmaqtin
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Day 9: Drive from Chaqmaqtin to Qala-e Panja expand_more
After breakfast, we'll say goodbye to the Little Pamir and depart Chaqmaqtin Lake where our vehicles will be continue to waiting for us. From Chaqmaqtin we'll make our way to Qala-e Panja, the once capital of the Mirdom of Wakhan which dates back to the Sassanid era.
Driving: 7-8 hours
Altitude: 2,800 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Qala-e Panja (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 10: Return Journey to Ishkashim expand_more
We will take today to make the road journey along the Afghan Wakhan back to Ishkashim from Qala-e Panja, making scenic stops in villages along the way.
Driving time: 6 hours
Altitude: 2,800 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Ishkashim (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 11: Rest Day or Contingency expand_more
Given the remote nature of this trip, we always budget on an extra day in the event of delays in order to have plenty of time to get across the border and to Dushanbe or back to Kabul International Airport so that guests don't miss any flights out.
Altitude: 2,600 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Ishkashim (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 12: Return Options expand_more
Day 12: Say Goodbye to the Wakhan | Ishkashim to Kabul (Exit option 1)
- In the morning we'll say goodbye to Wakhan in Afghanistan and make the journey, as Option 1, straight to Kabul via Hinduksh range and the ‘Salang Tunnels’.
Driving: 17 hours +/-
Altitude: 3,200 meters
Overnight: UN Security Approved 4-star Park Star Hotel in Kabul
Day 12: Say Goodbye to the Wakhan | Ishkashim to Kunduz (Exit option 2)
- In the morning we'll say goodbye to Wakhan in Afghanistan and make the journey back to Kunduz City and head for Shirkhan Border Crossing (as Option 2).
Driving: 16 hours +/-
Altitude: 2,600 meters
Overnight: Guesthouse in Kunduz City (Modest Guesthouse)
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Day 13: Departure expand_more
Day 13: The Final Day | Kabul International Airport (Exit option 1)
- Today begins early or late, as per your return ticket timing, with a short drive to reach the Kabul International Airport. You will be accompanied by tour representative’s airport transfer guy to catch your flight to Dubai or elsewhere out and YOUR TRIP ENDS!
Driving: 30 minutes to Kabul International Airport
Day 13: The Final Day | Kunduz to Dushanbe (Exit option 2)
- Today begins early with a short drive of a little over an hour to reach the Shirkhan Border Crossing. Once across you'll continue the 3 hours drive to Dushanbe where YOUR TRIP ENDS!
Driving: 4-5 hours to Dushanbe
Altitude: 2,200 meters
What's Included
- Afghanistan visa Invitation letter
- Travel permit & entry tickets
- Secure and confidential pick-up and drop-off service
- Airconditioned 5 or 10-seater car hire with EN-speaking friendly driver and tour guide. Facilitating safe 'travel by road' with a GPS live tracker device installed
- Three to five days (or more as you wish) alone or small-group tour
- English-speaking driver (multi-lingual drivers available)
- 3 main meals, beverages and medicine on-board
- Hotel & Guesthouse accommodation (3-star)
What's Excluded
- Escort guards (fully vetted by the Ministry of Interior)
- Doctor on board
- Domestic air-ticket
Know before you go
- Join us on an epically amazing 12-day journey through northern Afghanistan's remote Wakhan Corridor to explore the little-visited ‘Little Pamir Mountains’ and the surreal Chaqmaqtin Lake.
- Afghanistan Entry Option 1
- Starting from the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul International Airport, we will first make our way up north towards Gulbahar before driving up to the notorious Hindukush Salang Tunnel (Soviet made) into Baghlan Province epicentre of Kushan Empire, then head towards Faizabad provincial capital of Badakhshan province.
- Afghanistan Entry Option 2
- Starting from Dushanbe the capital of neighbouring Tajikistan, you will first make your way south toward the Khatlon region before crossing the Shirkhan Bandar land border crossing into Afghanistan's Kunduz Province. You will have Kite Travel Boutique’s letter of invitation in hand to attain your Afghan visas at the border crossing.
- Once into the country, our local guide with car will meet & greet you and have a briefing on your itinerary. Then we will head to Kunduz City to get priory arranged travel permits approved and then head eastward across Kunduz and Takhar provinces to finally reach Faizabad provincial capital of Badakhshan.
- Taking either option, mentioned above, we continue our journey onwards to Ishkashim district. From Afghan Ishkashim, well continue by jeep down the Wakhan Valley Road to Gaz Khan from which we'll begin our expedition on foot.
- The goals are to reach the famed surreal Chaqmaqtin Lake located in the Little Pamir Mountains, on the path of the Silk Road, inhabited by Afghan Kyrgyz and Wakhi semi-nomadic families.
- About Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor
- Squeezed between the Pamir and Karakoram Mountains, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor is a political creation, formed during the Great Game in 1893 by the Durand so-called agreement between Afghanistan and the then British Empire to serve as a buffer between Russian Turkistan (present-day Tajikistan) and British India (present-day Northern Pakistan).
- Historically, the Afghan Wakhan Corridor was a trade route along the Silk Road, used by Arian merchants, monks and travellers traversing between the Badakhshan region and Yarkand in what is now Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.
- Over the years the Wakhan became quite diverse with many people of varying cultures crossing and settling in the area as they travelled through this remote land.
- The Wakhan Corridor has remained largely cut off from the remainder of Afghanistan due to its rugged, arduous terrain, making it the only reasonably safe destination within Afghanistan's borders, dodging the wars that have wracked the country since the 1970s.
About Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor
Squeezed between the Pamir and Karakoram Mountains.
Political creation in 1893 by the Durand agreement to serve as a buffer.
Trade route along the Silk Road.
Diverse with many people of varying cultures.
Largely cut off from the remainder of Afghanistan due to rugged terrain.
Other Important Information
Sleeping Arrangements & Showering
Sleep two to a tent while camping on the Wakhan trek.
In guesthouses, group accommodation in large rooms with several beds.
Chance to shower on all nights in Tajikistan, Kabul, and in Afghan Ishkashim.
Camping: Plan to get dirty; it's quite dusty in these parts.
Meals
Three-time delicious Afghan meals per day included.
Meals in the Wakhan are simple: chai, nan, and either rice or noodles with meat.
Electricity, Internet & Communications
No regular electricity during the trek.
Recommend a solar power bank, charger, and external batteries.
Limited online connectivity in the Afghan Wakhan.
Recommend bringing an Inreach Explorer+ for communication.
Dress Code
Wakhan Corridor is conservative.
Full coverage for both men and women (long sleeves, full-length trousers/trekking pants).
Best for women to wear a head covering.
Layering recommended for high altitudes and cool temperatures.
Medications & First Aid
Bring necessary medication.
Carry a simple first aid kit.
Kite Travel Boutique’s guide will have a first aid kit.
Altitude
Trek at high altitudes.
Precautions to prevent altitude sickness.
Weather
Expect cold temperatures year-round.
Temperatures can drop to -15°C at night and reach 25°C in the daytime.
Physical Level
Challenging trekking.
Long days, up to 5 kilometers (5-8 hours).
Trek over mountain passes, highest at nearly 4,900 meters.
Extra Days
Arrange additional tours in Afghanistan.
Sign Up
Limited to a maximum of 14 travelers.
Meeting Point
Kabul, Afghanistan
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 80% of the tour price.Price Details
| Persons | |
| 1 To 100 | USD 2431 Per Person |
This is a private tour | |